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Protein Hot Chocolate PLUS Latke Party

Winter is coming. (SIDE NOTE: How come only those in the southern hemisphere actually get to watch Game of Thrones in the winter? Wouldn’t it be more impactful if we could watch it when it was actually cold, instead of April? Discuss.)

Or at least the calendar says that. On Monday it was SEVENTY DEGREES! In DECEMBER! In NEW JERSEY! (I swear I’m not complaining. Losing more than a hundred pounds makes the days below 50 degrees pretty miserable for me these days.)

Even so, Christmas IS coming, and with Christmas, comes the expectation of warm, chocolaty beverages. For example, hot cocoa.

I really love a richer, creamier hot chocolate, but can’t stand the empty calories. I mean, really, it’s sugar and fat, and oftentimes, it’s way too sweet and not chocolaty enough for me. So the other day at work I was brainstorming with my coworker and Master Watchmaker Tom, and suddenly my eyes popped open wide.

“EUREKA!” I said. Okay, I didn’t say eureka, because I don’t know anyone who actually says that. But I did say “PROTEIN HOT CHOCOLATE!” A quick Google search confirmed that it could be done, with one small caveat.

Protein powder curdles when you overheat it.

In maybe the most disgusting way ever. Even more disgusting than not drinking an Irish Car Bomb fast enough. Trust me. So the key to this recipe is temperature.

Protein Hot Chocolate

1 scoop whey protein powder (I use Isopure Zero Carb Vanilla)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Tollhouse)

8 ounces hot (NOT BOILING OR CLOSE TO BOILING) water

In a mug, add protein powder and cocoa powder. While whisking (I used a handled milk frother) slowly pour in the hot (BUT NOT BOILING OR CLOSE TO BOILING ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME I AM NOT KIDDING) water, stirring vigorously until smooth. And if you’ve done it right, you’ll have a creamy, rich, almost hot chocolate with a whopping 25g protein (if you use the same brand I did). My mug was fewer than 150 calories, and healthy enough to be guilt-free.

BONUS – LATKE PARTY

Sunday night was my the last night of Hannukah and my Boss’s annual Latke party! As usual, I ate far too many latkes and donuts (thanks, 80/20 diet rule for making the occasional indulgence okay) but had an absolute blast. Here are some highlights: